Noise Ordinances in Charles County, MD (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Charles County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Charles County splits its noise limits into two clocks: daytime runs 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and nighttime runs 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., with the nighttime hours carrying markedly stricter decibel ceilings under Chapter 260's Table 260-1, enforced at the property line of whoever is receiving the noise.
Charles County Nighttime Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code §§ 260-2, 260-3(A)
DAYTIME Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., local time. ... NIGHTTIME Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., local time. ... It is prohibited for any person located within the County to make any noise or operate any sound amplifier on any property owned or occupied by such person, or to permit any noise to be made or any sound amplifier to be operated on property owned or occupied by such person, at a...
Construction Hours
Construction and demolition sites in Charles County may run up to 90 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays, but outside that window, including all day on weekends, work must drop to the much lower nighttime figures in Table 260-1, as low as 50 dBA near homes.
Charles County Construction Noise Hour Limits
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 260-3(C), Construction noise limits
C. Construction noise limits. A person may not cause or permit noise levels emanating from construction or demolition site activities which exceed: (1) 90 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., weekdays; (2) The levels specified in Table 260-1 for nighttime hours at any other time.
Barking Dogs
Charles County treats a dog or other animal that barks or makes harsh, excessive noise disturbing a neighborhood's quiet as a public nuisance under Chapter 230, giving the Animal Matters Hearing Board authority to fine the owner and order the noise stopped after a complaint and hearing.
Charles County Barking Dog Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 230-12.4(A)(6)
No person, partnership, corporation or other legal entity shall keep or maintain any animal in such manner as to cause or permit the animal to be a public nuisance. A public nuisance is when an owner or custodian allows an animal to: (1) Be at large; (2) Damage the property of anyone other than its owner; (3) Molest pedestrians, neighbors or passersby; (4) Intimidate pedestrians, neighbors or p...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Charles County's noise ordinance bars operating a sound amplifier or making noise that exceeds 60 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime at a residential property line, under County Code § 260-3. Violations are civil infractions carrying fines up to $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each later one.
Charles County Amplified Sound Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 260-3
§ 260-3. Noise exceeding measurable standards. A. It is prohibited for any person located within the County to make any noise or operate any sound amplifier on any property owned or occupied by such person, or to permit any noise to be made or any sound amplifier to be operated on property owned or occupied by such person, at a level that exceeds the sound levels set forth in Table 260-1, when ...
Aircraft Noise
Aircraft noise is outside Charles County's Noise Control chapter entirely: Code § 260-4(A)(3) exempts aircraft and related operations at airports licensed by the Maryland State Aviation Administration from every decibel limit and time restriction in Chapter 260, leaving flight noise to state and federal aviation regulation instead.
Charles County Aircraft Noise Exemption
Few RestrictionsCharles County Code § 260-4(A)(3), Exemptions
A. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the following: ... (3) Aircraft and related operations at airports licensed by the Maryland State Aviation Administration.
Decibel Limits
Charles County caps ambient noise by the zoning of whoever receives it: Table 260-1 in Code § 260-3 allows 75 dBA around-the-clock near industrial land, 67 dBA by day and 62 dBA at night near commercial property, and just 60 dBA by day and 50 dBA at night near homes.
Charles County Noise Decibel Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 260-3(A)-(B), Table 260-1
A. It is prohibited for any person located within the County to make any noise or operate any sound amplifier on any property owned or occupied by such person, or to permit any noise to be made or any sound amplifier to be operated on property owned or occupied by such person, at a level that exceeds the sound levels set forth in Table 260-1, when measured at the property line of the receiving ...
Vehicle Noise
Charles County exempts state-licensed motor vehicles on public roads from its general noise ordinance, but its zoning code separately treats a residentially parked truck over 15,000 pounds without a muffler, or one that doesn't meet its manufacturer's exhaust specs, as a presumed nuisance under § 297-212, Use 7.02.410H.
Charles County Truck Muffler Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 297-212, Use 7.02.410(H)
H. Trucks shall not constitute a nuisance due to excessive noise. Trucks without mufflers or trucks that do not meet manufactured recommended exhaust system are presumed to be a nuisance and not in compliance with this subsection. Trucks with refrigeration units will not be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that the noise standards for industrial uses set forth in § 297-32 are met.
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